In a variety of applications and environments, it would be beneficial to have a device able to transition from a contracted state to an expanded state. Such devices can comprise planar members, tubular members, rectangular members and a variety of other configurations. Exemplary applications include medical applications in which expandable devices, such as stents, are deployed at a desired location and then expanded. Another exemplary application comprises the use of expandables in the retrieval of various fluids, e.g. oil, from subterranean locations.
For example, fluids such as oil, natural gas and water are obtained from subterranean geologic formations (a “reservoir”) by drilling a well that penetrates the fluid-bearing formation. Once a wellbore has been drilled to a certain depth, the borehole wall typically is supported to prevent collapse. During the drilling and use of a wellbore, various tubular members, such as liners, casings, sandscreens, etc. are deployed within the wellbore.
Various methods have been developed for radially expanding tubulars by, for instance, pulling an expansion mandrel through the tubular to plastically deform the tubular in a radially outward direction. Such an approach, however, requires a large amount of force to achieve the desired expansion.
The medical industry, oil industry and a variety of other industries utilize certain types of expandables or would benefit from the use of expandables in numerous applications. However, there are very few existing devices that are readily expandable at a desired location. Of the devices that do exist, substantial forces are required to create the expansion. Also, substantial plastic deformation often occurs which can limit the selection of available materials for a given expandable device. The present invention is directed to overcoming, or at least reducing, the effects of one or more of the problems set forth above.